Are sniffer dogs a reliable approach for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Abstract Objectives Despite inter-individual variations in their diagnostic efficiency, dogs have been trained to investigate many human pathologies, especially cancer, diabetes, migraine, seizures and even infectious diseases. To this end, we performed a critical review and pooled analysis of current scientific literature on the performance of dogs trained for identifying severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-positive human specimens. Methods We carried out an electronic search in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science with the keywords “dog(s)” AND “sniffer” OR “scent” OR “smell” AND “SARS-CoV-2” OR “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” OR “coronavirus disease 2019” OR “COVID-19” within all fields, without date or language restrictions, to identify studies describing dogs’ performance for identifying SARS-CoV-2 infected material. Results Three studies could be finally included in pooled analysis, totaling 17 dogs (47% females), aged between 0.5 and 12 years. The pooled diagnostic sensitivity was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.84–0.91; I 2, 85.3%), the diagnostic specificity 0.99 (95% CI, 0.99–0.99; I 2, 97.4%), whilst the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) was 0.979 (standard error, 0.003). Conclusions The notable performance observed in this pooled analysis would persuade us to suggest that adequately trained dogs could represent an intriguing and sustainable resource for purposes of rapid SARS-CoV-2 mass screening.

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Evaluation on the Diagnostic Efficiency of Different Methods in Detecting COVID-19.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-100604/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Haitao Yang ◽

Yuzhu Lan ◽

Xiujuan Yao ◽

Sheng Lin ◽

Baosong Xie

Keyword(s):

Sensitivity And Specificity ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Positive Likelihood Ratio ◽

Diagnostic Odds Ratio ◽

Diagnostic Efficiency ◽

Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

Operating Characteristic Curve ◽

Higher Sensitivity

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of different methods in detecting COVID-19.Methods: PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases were searched for identifing eligible articles. All data were calculated utilizing Meta Disc 1.4, Revman 5.3.2 and Stata 12. The diagnostic efficiency was assessed via these indicators including summary sensitivity and specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative LR (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), summary receiver operating characteristic curve (sROC) and calculate the AUC. Results: 18 articles (3648 cases) were included. EPlex: pooled sensitivity was 0.94; specificity 1.0; PLR 90.91; NLR 0.07; DOR 1409.49; AUC=0.9979, Q*=0.9840. Panther Fusion: pooled sensitivity was 0.99; specificity 0.98; PLR 42.46; NLR 0.02; DOR 2300.38; AUC=0.9970, Q*=0.9799. Simplexa: pooled sensitivity was 1.0; specificity 0.97; PLR 26.67; NLR 0.01; DOR 3100.93; AUC=0.9970, Q*=0.9800. Cobas®: pooled sensitivity was 0.99; specificity 0.96; PLR 37.82; NLR 0.02; DOR 3754.05; AUC=0.9973, Q*=0.9810. RT-LAMP: pooled sensitivity was 0.98; specificity 0.99; PLR 36.22; NLR 0.04; DOR 751.24; AUC=0.9905, Q*=0.9596. Xpert Xpress: pooled sensitivity was 0.99; specificity 0.97; PLR 27.44; NLR 0.01; DOR 3488.15; AUC=0.9977, Q*=0.9829.Conclusions: These methods (ePlex, Panther Fusion, Simplexa, Cobas®, RT-LAMP and Xpert Xpress) bear higher sensitivity and specificity, and might be efficient methods complement to the gold standard.

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Evaluation on the diagnostic efficiency of different methods in detecting COVID-19

10.1101/2020.06.25.20139931 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Haitao Yang ◽

Yuzhu Lan ◽

Xiujuan Yao ◽

Sheng Lin ◽

Baosong Xie

Keyword(s):

Sensitivity And Specificity ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Positive Likelihood Ratio ◽

Diagnostic Odds Ratio ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Diagnostic Efficiency ◽

Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

Higher Sensitivity

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of different methods in detecting COVID-19 to provide preliminary evidence on choosing favourable method for COVID-19 detection.MethodsPubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases were searched for identifing eligible articles. All data were calculated utilizing Meta Disc 1.4, Revman 5.3.2 and Stata 12. The diagnostic efficiency was assessed via these indicators including summary sensitivity and specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative LR (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), summary receiver operating characteristic curve (sROC) and calculate the AUC.Results18 articles (3648 cases) were included. The results showed no significant threshold exist. EPlex: pooled sensitivity was 0.94; specificity was 1.0; PLR was 90.91; NLR was 0.07; DOR was 1409.49; AUC=0.9979, Q*=0.9840. Panther Fusion: pooled sensitivity was 0.99; specificity was 0.98; PLR was 42.46; NLR was 0.02; DOR was 2300.38; AUC=0.9970, Q*=0.9799. Simplexa: pooled sensitivity was 1.0; specificity was 0.97; PLR was 26.67; NLR was 0.01; DOR was 3100.93; AUC=0.9970, Q*=0.9800. Cobas®: pooled sensitivity was 0.99; specificity was 0.96; PLR was 37.82; NLR was 0.02; DOR was 3754.05; AUC=0.9973, Q*=0.9810. RT-LAMP: pooled sensitivity was 0.98; specificity was 0.99; PLR was 36.22; NLR was 0.04; DOR was 751.24; AUC=0.9905, Q*=0.9596. Xpert Xpress: pooled sensitivity was 0.99; specificity was 0.97; PLR was 27.44; NLR was 0.01; DOR was 3488.15; AUC=0.9977, Q*=0.9829.ConclusionsThese methods (ePlex, Panther Fusion, Simplexa, Cobas®, RT-LAMP and Xpert Xpress) bear higher sensitivity and specificity, and might be efficient methods complement to the gold standard.

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Comprehensive and Integrative Analysis Reveals the Diagnostic, Clinicopathological and Prognostic Significance of Polo-Like Kinase 1 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1159/000490135 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (3) ◽

pp. 925-947 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Peng Lin ◽

Dong-yue Wen ◽

Yi-wu Dang ◽

Yun He ◽

Hong Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Cycle ◽

Liver Cancer ◽

Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

Operating Characteristic Curve ◽

Standardized Mean Difference

Background/Aims: Liver cancer has the second highest cancer-related death rate globally and has relatively few targeted therapeutics. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a fascinating trigger of the cell cycle; however, the still-rudimentary understanding of PLK1 at present is a significant barrier to its clinical applications. Here, we comprehensively clarified the clinicopathological value and potential functions of PLK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: HCC-related microarrays, RNA-sequencing datasets and published studies were deeply mined and integrated from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Omnibus, ArrayExpress, Oncomine, literature databases, and immunohistochemistry experiments. Meanwhile, the associations between PLK1 expression and its clinicopathological implications and prognostic value in HCC patients were assessed. The standardized mean difference, summary receiver operating characteristic curve and the corresponding area under the curve, hazard ratios, odds ratios (ORs), and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were examined by STATA 12.0. Additionally, several bioinformatics methods were used to identify the potential function of PLK1 in HCC. Results: Comprehensive analyses revealed that PLK1 was significantly increased in HCC (standardized mean difference = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03–1.65, P < 0.001). The results of diagnostic tests specified that in the summary receiver operating characteristic curve, the area under the curve was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.85–0.90). Furthermore, an elevated PLK1 level significantly predicted unfavorable overall survival (hazard ratio = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.10–2.88, P = 0.019) and was correlated with female gender (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.56–0.95, P = 0.017), tumor thrombus (OR = 3.97, 95% CI: 1.46–10.78, P < 0.001), metastasis (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.33–9.01, P = 0.011), pathologic stage (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.17–2.07, P = 0.002), Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage (OR = 5.76, 95% CI: 2.17–15.28, P < 0.001) and histologic grade (OR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.12–487, P = 0.024). Through bioinformatics methods, we determined that enhancing the proliferative effect of PLK1 in HCC was associated with a series of hub genes and the activation of the cell cycle pathway. Conclusions: These findings substantiated that PLK1 may be an independent prognostic biomarker in HCC and may facilitate the development of targeted precision oncology.

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Abstract P135: Covid-19 And Hypertension: Pooled Analysis Of Observational Studies

Hypertension ◽

10.1161/hyp.76.suppl_1.p135 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 76 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Vikramaditya Reddy Samala Venkata ◽

Rahul Gupta ◽

Surya Kiran Aedma

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Random Effects ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Retrospective Studies ◽

Pooled Analysis ◽

Random Effects Model ◽

Electronic Search

Introduction: The pandemic of COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Although clinical data is limited, studies published so far raise concerns about an association between hypertension and worse clinical outcomes in COVID-19. Our aim was to assess the association between hypertension and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Methods: A systematic electronic search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar. Retrospective studies with original COVID-19 hospitalized patient data and reporting prevalence of hypertension was included in our study. Pooled analysis using a random-effects model was performed to look at the association between hypertension and mortality. Results: 22 studies from 8 countries with over 11,000 patients were included in our analysis. Hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity in hospitalized COVID-19 patients (42%), followed by diabetes mellitus (23%)(Figure 1). Hypertension by itself was associated with higher rates of mortality (Figure 2). Other less prevalent comorbidities include non-hypertensive cardiovascular disease (11%), CKD (6%), CVA (5%), COPD (4.3%). Conclusion: Hypertension is the most prevalent comorbidity in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, followed by diabetes mellitus and was found to be significantly associated with higher rates of mortality. Surprisingly, hypertension is significantly more common than COPD in this population. The reason for this is unclear, there is no evidence currently that hypertension is directly related to mortality in this population. More randomized studies are needed to assess the effect of hypertension on mortality in COVID-19 patients.

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Amylase, lipase, pancreatic isoamylase, and phospholipase A in diagnosis of acute pancreatitis

Clinical Chemistry ◽

10.1093/clinchem/41.8.1129 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 41 (8) ◽

pp. 1129-1134 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

P Clavé ◽

S Guillaumes ◽

I Blanco ◽

N Nabau ◽

J Mercé ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Pancreatitis ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Serum Amylase ◽

Acute Abdominal Pain ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Threshold Value ◽

Phospholipase A ◽

Diagnostic Efficiency ◽

Pancreatic Isoamylase ◽

Parallel Fashion

Abstract To determine the utility of serum amylase (AMY), lipase (Lp), pancreatic isoamylase (isoA), phospholipase A (PLA), and urine AMY in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis, samples of serum and urine were obtained on admission and every day thereafter for 5 days from 384 patients with acute abdominal pain. Diagnostic accuracy, determined as the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, was > 0.975 for serum AMY, Lp, isoA, and urine AMY. For each of these enzymes, a threshold value (twice to sixfold the upper limit of the reference values) offering diagnostic efficiency > 95% could be determined. In contrast, accuracy and efficiency of serum PLA were low. The profiles of these enzymes in acute pancreatitis decreased in a parallel fashion over 5 days except for PLA. We conclude that diagnostic utilities are similar for serum AMY, Lp, isoA, and urine AMY for acute pancreatitis, provided that an appropriate threshold is established.

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The Utility of Pleural Fluid Lactate Dehydrogenase to Adenosine Deaminase Ratio in Pleural Tuberculosis

Respiration ◽

10.1159/000509555 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Amanda Beukes ◽

Jane Alexandra Shaw ◽

Andreas H. Diacon ◽

Elvis M. Irusen ◽

Coenraad F.N. Koegelenberg

Keyword(s):

Lactate Dehydrogenase ◽

Adenosine Deaminase ◽

Pleural Fluid ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Retrospective Studies ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Diagnostic Efficiency ◽

Pleural Tuberculosis ◽

High Incidence ◽

The Mean

In high-burden settings, the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (TB) is frequently inferred in patients who present with lymphocyte predominant exudative effusions and high adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels. Two recent small retrospective studies suggested that the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)/ADA ratio is significantly lower in TB than in non-TB pleural effusions and that the LDH/ADA ratio may be useful in differentiating pleural TB from other pleural exudates. We compared the pleural LDH/ADA ratios, ADA levels, and lymphocyte predominance of a prospectively collected cohort of patients with proven pleural TB (n = 160) to those with a definitive alternative diagnosis (n = 68). The mean pleural fluid LDH/ADA ratio was lower in patients with pleural TB than alternative diagnoses (6.2 vs. 34.3, p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.92 (p < 0.001) for LDH/ADA ratio and 0.88 (p < 0.001) for an ADA ≥40 U/L alone. A ratio of ≤12.5 had the best overall diagnostic efficiency, while a ratio of ≤10 had a specificity of 90% and a positive predictive value of 95%, with a sensitivity of 78%, making it a clinically useful “rule in” value for pleural TB in high incidence settings. When comparing the LDH/ADA ratio to an ADA level ≥40 U/L in the presence of a lymphocyte predominant effusion, the latter performed better. When lymphocyte values are unavailable, our data suggest that the LDH/ADA ratio is valuable in distinguishing TB effusions from other pleural exudates.

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Accuracy of new Corvis ST parameters for detecting subclinical and clinical keratoconus eyes in a Chinese population

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84370-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shengwei Ren ◽

Liyan Xu ◽

Qi Fan ◽

Yuwei Gu ◽

Kaili Yang

Keyword(s):

Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve ◽

Chinese Population ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Youden Index ◽

Diagnostic Efficiency ◽

Stiffness Parameter ◽

Diagnostic Ability ◽

Corvis St ◽

Operating Characteristic Curve

AbstractThis study aimed to compare the values of new corneal visualization Scheimpflug technology (Corvis ST) parameters in normal, subclinical keratoconus (SKC) and keratoconus (KC) eyes, and evaluate the diagnostic ability to distinguish SKC and KC eyes from normal eyes. One-hundred normal, 100 SKC and 100 KC eyes were included in the study. Corvis ST parameters containing dynamic corneal response parameters were measured by one ophthalmologist. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic ability of new Corvis ST parameters. The new Corvis ST parameters in KC eyes were different from those in the control and SKC eyes after adjusting for IOP and CCT, and stiffness parameter at the first applanation (SP-A1) and Corvis biomechanical index (CBI) were significantly different between the control and SKC eyes (all P < 0.05). The parameter with the highest diagnostic efficiency was SP-A1 (Youden index = 0.40, AUC = 0.753), followed by CBI (Youden index = 0.38, AUC = 0.703), and Integrated Radius (Youden index = 0.33, AUC = 0.668) in diagnosing SKC from control eyes. New Corvis ST parameters in SKC eyes were significantly different from normal control and KC eyes, and could be considered to distinguish SKC and KC eyes from normal eyes.

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Interleukin-27 as a Diagnostic Biomarker for Patients with Sepsis: A Meta-Analysis

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2021/5516940 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Ying Wang ◽

Jingyi Zhao ◽

Yinhui Yao ◽

Dan Zhao ◽

Shiquan Liu

Keyword(s):

Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve ◽

Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Diagnostic Biomarker ◽

Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

Funnel Plot ◽

Operating Characteristic Curve ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

Background. The present study was aimed to investigate the value of blood interleukin-27 (IL-27) as a diagnostic biomarker of sepsis. Methods. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and the reference lists of relevant articles. All studies published up to October 21, 2020, which evaluated the accuracy of IL-27 levels for the diagnosis of sepsis were included. All the selected papers were assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2). We used a bivariate random effects model to estimate sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratios (DOR), and a summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC). Deeks’ funnel plot was used to illustrate the potential presence of publication bias. Results. This meta-analysis included seven articles. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and DOR were 0.85 (95% CI, 0.72-0.93), 0.72 (95% CI, 0.42-0.90), and 15 (95% CI, 3-72), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.84-0.90). The pooled I 2 statistic was 96.05 for the sensitivity and 96.65 for the specificity in the heterogeneity analysis. Deeks’ funnel plot indicated no publication bias in this meta-analysis ( P = 0.07 ). Conclusions. The present results showed that IL-27 is a reliable diagnostic biomarker of sepsis, but it should be investigated in combination with other clinical tests and results.

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A Threshold Optical Density Value In Immunoassay Predicts Thrombosis In Patients with Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v122.21.4755.4755 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 122 (21) ◽

pp. 4755-4755 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Asit K. Paul ◽

William Fricke ◽

Peter A. Kouides

Keyword(s):

Optical Density ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Diagnostic Specificity ◽

Platelet Factor ◽

Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia ◽

Clinical Probability ◽

Operating Characteristic Curve ◽

Diagnostic Criterion

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an IgG mediated adverse reaction of heparin use associated with increased thrombosis. Heparin-platelet factor 4 (HPF4) enzyme immunoassay (EIA) detects all classes of antibody against HPF4 resulting in potential over-diagnosis of HIT. The objective of the current study was to determine an optimal threshold for diagnosis of HIT by EIA that would improve the diagnostic specificity and predict thrombosis. We retrospectively analyzed data of 101 consecutive patients who were tested positive based on conventional cut-off value of optical density (OD) obtained from EIA. Study patients were grouped as low (n=22), intermediate (n=26) and high (n=53) clinical probability group of HIT based on the 4T clinical probability scoring. An OD ratio (ODR) by EIA was calculated for each patient by dividing patient’s OD by the cut-off OD. Using low and high clinical probability as negative and positive diagnosis of HIT, a receiver operating characteristic curve was generated for the range of ODRs. An ODR of >2.5 provided the best trade-off between sensitivity and specificity. When a combination of clinical probability and ODR>2.5 were used to diagnose HIT, 20/26 patients with intermediate probability were reclassified as not having HIT. This reduced the overall diagnosis of HIT by 42% compared to that by EIA alone. Using this diagnostic criterion, the rate (58% vs. 10%, P<0.001) and the risk (Odds ratio 7.6, 95% confidence interval, 3.4-17.2) of thrombosis were significantly greater in patients with HIT than in patients without HIT. Thus, when patient’s OD 2.5 times greater than cut-off OD in EIA was combined with clinical probability for the diagnosis of HIT, it improved the diagnostic specificity and predicted thrombosis. This data also suggest the use of a universal ODR rather than an assay-specific cut-off for the diagnosis of HIT by EIA. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Diagnostic Value of Total Plasma Lysophosphatidic Acid in Ovarian Cancer: A Meta-analysis

International Journal of Gynecological Cancer ◽

10.1097/igc.0000000000000319 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 18-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Zhaolian Lu ◽

Yingjian Chen ◽

Zhide Hu ◽

Chengjin Hu

Keyword(s):

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

Lysophosphatidic Acid ◽

Test Performance ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Diagnostic Value ◽

Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

Receiver Operating

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the diagnostic value of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in ovarian cancer.MethodsA systematic review of related studies was performed; sensitivity, specificity, and other measures about the accuracy of serum LPA in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer were pooled using random-effects models. Summary receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to summarize the overall test performance.ResultsSix studies involving 363 patients with ovarian cancer and 273 healthy control women met the inclusion criteria. The summary estimates for LPA in diagnosing ovarian cancer in the included studies were as follows: sensitivity, 0.94 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.91–0.96]; specificity, 0.88 (95% CI, 0.83–0.91); and diagnostic odds ratio, 141.59 (95% CI, 52.1–384.63). The area under the curve and Q value for summary receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.97 and 0.92, respectively.ConclusionsThe LPA assay showed high accuracy and sensitivity for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. The present study was limited by the small number of available studies and sample size; therefore, additional studies with a better design and larger samples are needed to further assess the diagnostic accuracy of LPA.

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